A recent study published in the journal BCM Medicine shows that people who eat a handful of nuts a day may lower their risk of cancer.
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Supporting Casts in Meal Preparation
Eating for cancer prevention does not have to be an onerous task. It may sound off coming from a nutritionist but I really do my best to avoid recipes that have a laundry list of ingredients. Whole foods prepared simply is my mantra. And often I feel we miss the boat with our focus. We concern ourselves with the main dish and leave the fixings as an after thought. But here is the thing. The supporting casts in meal preparation can offer some of the greatest health benefits. Case in point. Take a look at this lunch.
Now I love my avocado toast. Avocados offer a host of health benefits such as healthy fats, fiber and potassium. But what I want you to focus on in this exercise are the add ons to the dish and how including such things on your plate really ups the anti cancer properties of a meal.
Fermented carrots and celery
Fermented vegetables are stars for gut health and nutrient absorption, both essential for cancer prevention. These fermented carrots and celery serve as both pre and probiotic foods. By adding fermented foods to your meal you are not only adding gut friendly foods you also are adding foods that actually help with the digestion of the rest of your meal.
Onions
Onions are another gut friendly food falling in to the prebiotic category. They are also amazing for liver support. Rich in allicin they aid your liver in its detoxification process.
Ground Flax Seeds
Flax seeds are rich in lignans which are fiber-related polyphenols. They contain Omega 3 fatty acids and they are a great source of antioxidants. Although we do naturally produce some antioxidants, our bodies rely a great deal upon dietary sources and antioxidants are a vital component of cancer prevention.
Himalayan Salt
Himalayan salt offers trace minerals, helps in detoxification and may lower blood pressure. If you are a salt person definitely switching from table salt to this lovely pink gem is important.
So there you have it! In life we try not to sweat the small stuff. But in plating it could make the world of difference.
Eat A Rainbow of Colours
Making a commitment to eating a rainbow of colours when it comes to fruits and vegetables is important not only for your palate but also for your gut. Your gut houses the majority of your microbiome, your community of commensal, symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms, and eating your fruits and veggies helps to maintain a healthy balance of these organisms. Fruits and vegetables also offer vast health benefits from a variety of over 6000 flavonoids, a class of phytonutrients, that provide pigment to plants and are commonly noted for their anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits. But as research is uncovering, many flavonoids possess other health benefits including anti-cancer properties. And it is here that we come full circle. We need a healthy gut microbiome to convert flavonoids to their health promoting metabolites.
Apigenin is a type of flavonoid that has been studied extensively for its anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Apigenin has been shown to possess anti-carcinogenic properties on a variety of cancers including pancreatic, colorectal and breast cancer and is also being examined for its effects when combined with chemotherapy agents.
Apigenin is found in a variety of foods and herbs such as apples, broccoli, basil, onions, artichoke, oregano, chamomile and cilantro. But it is most prominently concentrated in parsley and celery, two of the most commonly used staples in our kitchen.
Celery is labeled as the go to for making soups and broths and as the key to a successful calorie restriction plan as it is full of water (95% of it is in fact H2O) and fiber, the perfect combination for the war against weight. Now you can add celery’s cancer fighting properties to its list of healthy benefits. And Mother Nature has made it so convenient to consume and the perfect vehicle for dips and nut butters.
Parsley is the most widely used herb in kitchens. And for good reason:
- It comes in many varieties.
- It’s available all year round.
- It’s easy to grow.
- It freshens your breath.
- It has a very pleasant taste in a wide variety of dishes.
As well as the noted Apigenin flavonoid, parsley is high in Vitamin K and Vitamin C and is a good source of Vitamin A.
Chemoprotective foods such as celery and parsley can be easily incorporated in to our daily diet and they are just two examples of how nature provides us with powerful weapons in our cancer prevention and cancer fighting arsenals.
Fermented Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
I love this recipe! It is a whole-food power pack and is so versatile it may soon become a breakfast staple in your home.
Quinoa, a seed not a grain as is often thought, is high in protein, gluten-free and just 1/4 cup of it contains approximately 3 grams of fiber.
But the real star in this recipe is the fermented cashew milk. Cashew milk on its own is a tasty non-dairy milk but by fermenting the nuts beforehand you boost the nutrient availability and add a gut friendly component to the dish.
The notion of fermenting food may seem daunting but the process is really a piece of cake as you will see from the recipe below. You do need to plan ahead a bit as the fermenting process does take about a day. But the planning ahead is truly the hardest part of the whole deal.
Give it a try and if you get a second I would love to hear what you think of the recipe.
Fermented Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
2 cups cooked quinoa
1-2 cups fermented cashew milk* (recipe below)
1 grapefruit peeled and chopped
¾ cup cherries, blueberries or fruit of your choice
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
1 TBSP Maple syrup (or to taste)
Combine all ingredients pressing the grapefruit to release juices and let stand 15 minutes before serving
*Fermented cashew milk
In a mason jar cover 1 cup of raw cashews with fresh water leaving at least one inch of room from top.
Add 1 TBSP sea salt.
Seal tightly with lid and shake the jar to combine. Leave this on counter at least 24 hours.
After 24 hours drain and rinse the nuts. Put nuts into blender and add 1-2 cups of water depending upon your desired milk thickness.
Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Blend mixture to liquid.
Drain the milk through a nut back.
Refrigerate.
Brussels Sprouts Salad
I clearly remember as a child holding my nose while I struggled through my serving of Brussels Sprouts. Boiled and served I used to cover them with vinegar and salt just to make them bearable.
I have come a long way in my appreciation of this mighty veggie. And I have been successful in finding preparation and flavour matchings that truly make these little gems a pleasure to eat.
Health Benefits of Brussels Sprouts
I have persevered because their health benefits are many. Brussels Sprouts belong to the cruciferous family, and along with fellow members such as broccoli, kale, cabbage and spinach, this group of vegetables contain glucosinolates, indole-3-carbinol and isothiocyanates, nutrients that have been shown to among other things, decrease cancer risks.
A snapshot of the Brussels Sprouts’ nutrient profile looks like this:
- One cup contains almost 3 grams of protein
- One cup contains approximately 4 grams of fiber
- One cup contains almost 2.5 times of the daily recommended intake of vitamin K and 1.5 times that of vitamin C
I particularly like this salad. The flavour of the dressing holds up very well against the hearty flavour of the brussels sprouts. And it is a raw preparation which preserves the important nutrients that the sprouts contain. Over cooking brussels sprouts can deplete them of their nutrients.
So give this salad a try and let me know your thoughts. I am curious to know if it can convert the sprout haters!
Enjoy!
Brussels Sprouts Salad
6 Cups of Shredded Brussels Sprouts
Dressing
4 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 TBSP Lemon Juice
1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBSP Grainy Dijon Mustard
2 tsp Maple Syrup
½ tsp each salt & pepper
Directions
- Place shredded sprouts in to your serving bowl.
- Place all of the salad dressing ingredients in to a small bowl and mix together well.
- 1/2 hour before serving spread dressing over sprouts and toss well
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